Welcome to your weekly exercise post. Today we’ll be sharing with you the Open Focus exercise🌻.
This exercise is designed to help you gain more control over your attention. Often when we’re anxious, we’re not in control of our attention and our mind can feel easily distracted or hyper-focused on the negative.
This exercise will show you a quick way to try and get in control of your attention by focusing on some objects around you.
Note: If you are feeling very fixated on something right now, it might not make you feel different. It is best to do this exercise when you’re feeling ok , because it will show you some skills that you can use when you’re starting to feel negative next time.
Tip: Try to find a quiet, private space, where you won’t be disturbed. Read the instructions first so you know what to do and then set up a 3-min timer to practise the exercise. You can use your phone or this online timer here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHdviZkM7S4
Instructions:
- Look around you at the room you're in
- First focusing on a specific object you can see
- Then try to "open" your attention, and focus on the relationship between that object and all of the other objects in the room
- Repeat, moving to the next object, sharpening your attention and then opening it again
- Don't rush, just take your time and direct your attention gently
- Try to see if you can get your attention to soften and expand as you open your focus, and narrow and sharpen as you focus on a specific object
- You can try this with people, thoughts, notes in music, really anything you would like
If you’re ready, set the timer on your phone for 3 minutes and start the exercise ⏱.
What do you think about this exercise? Comment below!